Lunch Box Buddies
by CloeyMarie
Summary: Some ate in pairs, some in circular groups, all ate with someone save a lonely girl and a shunned boy. Maybe they won't eat alone anymore. NarutoxSakura AU
1. Eating Alone

Sitting alone with her lunch, Sakura watched as the other children ate. Some ate in pairs, others in large circular groups. She ate alone. It was her first day and the school portion had gone wonderfully; it was the social aspect that was less than spectacular. She had been pushed to the dirt, teased until tears fell from her emerald eyes and she had finally covered her forehead in shame and walked away. She was alone.

As she poked her bento, she scanned the mass of children. Some laughed, some shouted, others whispered but it was obvious that they were enjoying themselves. Eyes widened when she saw another alone. A sunny topped boy with grubby clothing and overwhelming feeling of dejection radiating from his slouched posture. She couldn't help the smile that lit up her features. She wasn't alone! Quickly, she stuffed all her food back in her lunch box and ran over to him. Eyes following her widening in shock at her intended target: didn't she know he was bad?

"Hi!" Sakura smiled, cheerfully giving a wave to accentuate the greeting. Blue eyes blinked up at her, trying to distinguish if she was genuine or merely playing her part in a cruel prank. Scuffing her foot in the dirt nervously she shyly continued, "I was just wondering if it would be alright if I…" She turned her hair nimbly between her fingers as she plowed ahead asking, "could eat lunch with you?"

No response, he was still looking up at her, head cocked slightly to the side. The slow widening of his grin was lost to her nervousness. "It's just that everyone is sitting with someone and I was sitting alone and you…"

"Course you can sit with me!" The boy shouted exuberantly before jumping up and giving her a twirling hug. Arms sandwiched to her sides, she held on to her lunch as best she could, lest it fly away. The hug stopped a moment later but left them both with silly grins stretching across their faces. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto!" He gave a thumbs up as he introduced himself.

"Nice to meet you Naruto, I'm Haruno Sakura."

Naruto launched himself at the pink haired girl capturing her in another hug while shouting, "Sakura-chan!"

"Can't breathe," Sakura wheezed out. He chuckled bashfully as he let her go. Plopping down on the ground she opened her lunch and started eating. Naruto sat down by her, eying her food hungrily. Sensing his looks of longing she offered up half her meal, "want some?"

"Yay, Sakura-chan!" Taking the food, which he promptly wolfed down, Naruto couldn't help but feel elated beyond happiness. Someone was eating with him and had even given him food, something that no one save the Hokage did.

"Naruto?" Drawn out of his musing Naruto looked up quizzically. "Can we be friends?" Her hair curtained her face as she stared at her food, absently prodding it with her chop sticks.

Naruto was shocked to a stupor, someone wanted to be his friend? This was new territory. Confusing his silence as rejection she willed the tears that were gathering at the edge of her vision away.

"Best friends," Naruto offered softly. Jerking her head upward to look him in the eye she couldn't contain the happiness. She pounced on him in a hug that left the boy light headed and he wasn't sure it was just from the formidable strength she exerted.

All in all it was the beginning of many things.

Meh, I wanted to try my hand at the chibi angle of NarutoxSakura. I'll probably revise this, more detail. Today has been a good day for inspiration, two one shots in one day! Well at least people know I'm not dead. Reviews are appreciated and the reviewers are loved more than words can express! Remember children hug a stranger! –Cloey Marie-


	2. After School Acceptance

The first day of having a best friend had been a day to remember. Any free time was spent with the other and an immensely enjoyable time was had, it didn't matter that the other children became more vicious in their assaults, both verbal and physical, because they drew strength from each other. It was odd, though it was their first day of being best friends or friends for that matter they acted as if they had known each other for all of their six years. Of course it might just have been that they had never had other friends before and didn't know how to handle the situation 'normally'.

After a long lecture on chakra by Iruka-sensai Naruto was hard pressed to sit still, he _hated _lectures, far too boring to be anything important anyway. "Naruto?" A quiet whisper reached his ears. Turning he regarded the pink haired girl. "Do you want to come over after school?"

Before Naruto could respond Iruka noticed the side conversation. "Sakura, what did I just say?"

Sakura blushed prettily before sinking down in her chair while saying, "It will be a while before we build up enough chakra stores to use a more complex jutsu."

Iruka gave a small nod and continued on with his lecture. Slowly she sat up in her seat and the blush dissipated, "Do you?" She inquired again though quieter this time and with a quick glance to see where Iruka-sensai was.

Naruto was torn. On one hand he was overjoyed to be spending more time with his best friend but then there was the fact that everyone in the village hated him, what if Sakura-chan's parents didn't like him and then she stopped being his best friend?

Sakura fiddled her fingers waiting for his answer. "Sure Sakura-chan." He spoke slowly as if it was a great labor to do so. Giving the boy a grin she returned to taking notes on the lecture currently in progress while Naruto tried to shut off his mind lest his sparse courage waver.

A few hours later found the two meandering their way to Sakura's house while Naruto pointed out all of his favorite places. "There's I eat the best ramen in the world! And there…" He gestured excitedly while Sakura giggled at his antics. Subtly guiding him to her house so not to interrupt him she tried to contain her exhilaration at being able to introduce her first friend to her mother, that and the shock of actually having a friend hadn't quite worn off.

"We're here!" She beamed unable to contain her joy. Naruto paled considerably at this, he had hoped to delay the meeting of her parents; it hadn't work as well as he hoped. "Come on Naruto-kun!" She tugged at his arm expectantly. Looking at her emerald eyes as they danced in delight he found that he couldn't deny her this, he seriously doubted anyone could right now. Give in a tired sigh he resigned himself to his fate. Maybe a few curses as he was thrown out, maybe a cold glare that would pierce into him and deflate his hope, perhaps they would warn Sakura against him. The possibilities were endless.

Dejectedly he allowed her to pull him along, through the front door, past the family pictures, and into the living room. There sat a woman with slightly faded pink hair, much akin to Sakura's, sipping tea contently. She dragged him over in front of the woman and fidgeted while waiting for the woman to put her tea down. "Oka-san, meet my new friend." It was when he looked up he realized it, she was blind. He could only guess that she had once had green eyes as the color had paled so that they were only a shade darker then the white that encircled it. "Naruto this is my mom, Mom this is Naruto." He bowed slightly in greeting before he realized that she wouldn't be able to see the gesture, scratching the back of his head bashfully as he straightened he tried a more verbal approach.

"Hello Mrs. Haruno." Giving a nervous side glance to Sakura he plowed forward, "It's nice to meet you."

"Why hello Naruto, it's nice to meet you also." A smile stretched its way across her lips and Naruto couldn't help but return the gesture.

"We're going to play in my room, ok Mom?" Sakura asked all smiles.

"Of course sweetie, I'll call you down for dinner." True to her word they were called down just as the delicious scents had started to waft up the stairs. They raced down to the food, tying in the end. "Sakura, set the table please." Mrs. Haruno requested softly.

"Sure Mom!" Grabbing some plates, cups, and chop sticks Sakura was out of the room and Naruto was left alone with her mother; a fact he didn't neglect to notice.

"You're her first friend." Mrs. Haruno said it plainly as she tossed the salad. Idly Naruto wondered how she had managed to prepare the meal but brushed the stray thought aside and focused on answering the question.

"Well she's my first friend too so I guess it's a good thing." Scratching the back of his head nervously he started to slowly edge his way out of the room.

"You make her very happy." Her eyebrows drew together slightly as she seemingly stared into the bowl of salad, her whole demeanor screaming sadness. "She works very hard, ever since her father died…" The older woman trailed off. Naruto took in the new fact. It clicked suddenly why the family pictures had never featured a man; he had meant to ask Sakura about that but had forgotten. He was glad he did.

"Poor girl, has to take care of a blind mother and deal with the loss of a father to the demon." At the mention of demon a jolt of shock shot through his body putting every hair on his body on end. He resumed his slow edging out of the room. "You make her happy Naruto; I couldn't care less what you are as long as who you are makes her happy."

He was shelled shocked, she knew and she didn't care! Her husband had died against Kyubi and she didn't care! Tears sprung unbidden to his eyes as he stood frozen as a feeling he had never before experienced washed over him, acceptance. Complete and total acceptance, she knew his darkest secret and it didn't matter. Before he himself knew what he was doing he was hugging her around her waist as it was as high as he could reach. His tears had long since overflowed and were now being absorbed by the soft fabric of her skirt as she soothingly rubbed his back; words weren't needed.

Dinner at Sakura's turned out to be a _very_ enjoyable experience.

Chapter two, voila! Well I must say that this is turning out to be a hazard to teeth what with all the sugar and fluff. If your teeth haven't rotted out yet you must have some pretty awesome tooth paste! Comments are always welcomed and appreciated. –Cloey Marie-


	3. Worried sick

The first day she didn't let it bother her. The second day she missed him terribly, especially when lunch came with the bullies. The third day she started to worry, was it normal to be out three days? The fourth day she worried, a lot. So it was on the fifth day of his absence that she could no longer continue on her current course of searching for him frantically as if he would pop out of nowhere in some long drawn out joke, she actively searched him out. She had started by asking some of the nicer, meaning they didn't actually make fun of her, kids in her class where he might live. She had gotten little to no response and none of it was in anyway useful.

So being the logical girl that she was she then asked Iruka-sensai. Directions were given in return for a thousand watt smile before she happily skipped away while he shook his head slightly. After school that day she pranced along happy at the prospect of seeing her best friend again with a bowl of chicken flavored ramen tucked securely under her arm. Taking a left Sakura found herself face to face with a grubby apartment building that reminded Sakura of exactly where her mother told her to never go. Somewhat timidly she continued towards it keeping as much distance between herself and the other passerby's as humanly possible hugging her bowl of ramen tightly.

Ascending the creaky, dirty stairs to where Naruto's apartment hopefully was she comforted herself that she was a ninja in training and therefore could handle any crazy-physco-serial killer that might pop out and try to kill her, she wasn't sure how much she believed that but it warded off the darker thoughts.

After what seemed an eternity to the scared little girl she knocked on the dingy door with faded letters reading 'A16.' At first nothing happened then, faintly, she could hear uncertain steps painstakingly slowly making their way to the door. Steeling herself and squeezing her eyes shut she waited only peeking one open when she heard the squeal of the door opening.

"Sakura-chan?" He was kept from saying anything further by the hacking cough that erupted from his throat. Holding the soup in one hand she patted his back slowly moving into his house. He allowed her to guide him in with no problem.

In a way Sakura wasn't surprised by the state of his apartment, after all the rest of the building wasn't exactly gorgeous. Wall paper peeled on the wall, the carpet looked like it had been around longer than her mother, and various items littered the cramped space. She could see a corner of his bed from where she stood, setting the soup down on a beaten table she ushered him to his bed not unlike what her mother did with her when she was ill.

"Well at least I know you didn't up and die." She attempted to lighten the mood with a little humor. It brought a small smile to his face before a cough tore its way up his throat. Fussingly she tucked him in before going in search of a suitable clothe to dampen and put on his head. Returning with the ramen and clothe at the ready she scrutinized him. Slightly feverish, a cough that didn't sound good in anyway, and she wouldn't have been surprised if he had tossed his cookies in his five day absence. Feeling lost in the scope of his sickness she did what any six year old would do, she called her mom.

"Mom, Naruto's sick. What do I do?" After listing off his symptoms and what was at hand Sakura felt significantly better. Armed with a mother's knowledge she nudged Naruto in a sitting position and gave him the ramen that by now was more lukewarm than anything.

"Thank you Sakura-chan." He ate with his head bent down staring fixedly into his ramen.

"You're welcome Naruto-kun." Sakura chirped glad that her efforts were appreciated. "Just don't ever do that to me again, I was worried sick!" It was almost scary how fast she went from the sweet Sakura to the scary Sakura that practically had fire in her eyes.

"H-hai." All in all though Naruto wouldn't have it any other way. He had a friend, one who cared enough to bring him ramen, tuck him in, and even be so worried about him that she was scary. Eyes drooping slightly he snuggled into the blankets with his last conscious thought that he had a new favorite food, ramen.

* * *

Well I have discovered something, if I want to write all I have to do is get sick and suddenly I have enough inspiration to write three fics. I'll just have to get sick more often. Reviews are appreciated and the reviewers are loved and praises of them are sung! –Cloey Marie- 


	4. Living Arrangements

Sakura hated getting groceries. If it weren't for her ninja training it would have been far too heavy and bulky for her to even consider getting them in the first place. As it was though it was her job to get the groceries once a week and it didn't matter that she didn't _like _it, she had to do it. Though it could be concluded that the task was made even more unpleasant by it having to be accomplished at late dusk, the time just before the street lights switched on. Glancing fearfully side to side she tried to pick up the pace as much as her short legs would allow.

As she hurried by she almost didn't hear it, almost. Coming from an alley just to her right were the sounds of a struggle of some sort, peering somewhat dubiously at the entrance she noticed a few important things. One, it was darker than the road she was now on. Two, the general appearance of the alley didn't denote peacefulness it bespoke _very _bad things. Three, there was a boy who appeared to be guarding the entrance his shifty eyes seemingly everywhere at once.

This all came together in the form of a little voice in her head that was positively screaming for her to get out of there and erase the incident from her mind. However something in the pit of her stomach compelled her to set her groceries down in a safe place, this being behind a bush, and to stealthily make her way to a spot where she would be able to see what was going on in the alley.

Safely hidden behind a nearby stand she witnessed a beating. It was three to one, the three being significantly larger than the one in a small ball on the ground. Red clouded her vision as she saw the dirty blonde hair. She had to think quickly, they didn't look like they noticed the fact that the blonde was becoming increasingly unresponsive to their abuse.

A moment of despair consumed her when her when she drew a blank on what to do. _What can I do? I'm just six! They'll beat me up too! _She caught a flash of filthy blonde hair breaking her from her thoughts. _This is Naruto-kun, I have to help him. He's my best friend. _Her resolve restored she wracked her brain for something, anything that would help. _Got it!_

Quickly doing some seals that Iruka-Sensei had shown them a few weeks ago she transformed. No longer was she a petite little girl with pink hair. Now she was an Iruka look alike. Puffing out her chest and putting on a 'scary' face she marched over to the alley opening. The boy on lookout bolted but not before shouting, "Bail!"

Encouraged by the fact that she at least looked real enough to fool someone in the dark she marched into the alley listening to the faint sounds of running. She almost vomited when she saw her best friend. He was covered in wounds, blood was practically pouring out, not to mention dirt and other unpleasant things were smeared over his body. Dispersing with the Henge she made her way to him on shaky legs.

Tears ran freely as she sobbed out his name. "Naruto-kun." As gently as she could she lifted the boy, shakily she stood. Even more unsteadily she started walking with him cradled almost comically in her arms. "Naruto-kun. Wake up, I-I want to see your pretty eyes. Y-you gotta be alright."

As she carried him the remaining block home she pleaded with him to open his eyes, to be ok, to laugh with her, anything. She wouldn't care if he turned mean and made fun of her like everyone else as long as he was ok. The groceries were long forgotten.

Sakura thanked her lucky stars that her mother had been out on the porch enjoying the now night air. Sobbing hysterically she staggered on, her goal well in sight.

"M-mom. Naruto, he-e…they beat him up and-and I can't get him to wa-wake up!" Sakura wailed as she struggled up the stairs as every movement sent fire shooting up her limbs.

Blindly Mrs. Haruno held out her arms her mouth set in a grim line. As gently as her tired arms would allow Sakura placed Naruto in the capable hands of her mother, it was if she was both physically and mentally relieved. Her mother would save him; she was Mom, the one who could make everything right.

It was a long night for both Haruno women, Sakura refused to go to sleep and insisted on helping and acted as nurse handing her mother whatever was required and Mrs. Haruno had to do the best she could with what she had. The morning found two exhausted woman surveying their patient. They had cleaned him up of all the grime that had covered him and clean white bandages now snaked their way around the poor six year-old's body.

Against her will Sakura felt her eyes close; her fatigued body had had enough. She woke some time later in her bed tucked in snuggly. Blearily she rubbed at her eyes as she swung her legs over the side of the bed. Her mind caught up to her then. "Naruto-kun!" Jumping up she was off like a shot to the guest room where he was.

The second she entered the room her eyes found his, wide cerulean met watery jade. With a shout of joy she was throwing herself at him giving him the fiercest hug she could as her eyes overflowed. They stayed like that though Sakura's grip eventually relaxed much to his lung's enjoyment. No words were spoken, the moment transcended them.

"Time for your medicine Naruto." Mrs. Haruno interrupted softly as she made her way over to the bed.

"Again? That stuff is gross!" The boy looked vaguely squeamish at the thought with his face screwed up in distaste.

"Mom's medicine is good though!" Sakura protested giggling at the blonde's antics.

"To you maybe." Naruto pouted cutely crossing his arms over his chest defiantly.

Mrs. Haruno gave a small chuckle as she stuck the spoon full of 'gross' liquid into his unsuspecting mouth. Instantly he began choking but managed to keep it down. "Now we get to check the bandages." The woman said almost happily.

The bandage inspection found all save the more major wounds having disappeared completely. He was deemed fine to which he whooped loudly before launching himself out of the bed. "I want you and Sakura to go and get all your things and bring them here, ok?"

"Why Mom?" Sakura asked genuinely puzzled.

"Naruto will be living with us from now on. I've already got everything all sorted out." Neither child moved though their eyes had become the size of dinner plates. "You'd better get started or we'll have to do all the unpacking at night." Mrs. Haruno warned.

With exuberant yells they were off racing to Naruto's apartment marveling at their luck.

* * *

Alrighty, no doubt there will be questions so let me answer a few of them.

Why does Sakura have to get the groceries? Can you imagine a blind woman trying to shop?

How can Sakura do Henge at such a young age? I'm banking on the fact that Iruka would have showed them in a "This is what you'll be able to do later." kind of thing. Also Sakura's chakra control and memory are her true strengths so…yah.

Why don't they take Naruto to the hospital? Personally I wouldn't as most everyone in the village hates him so what's there to prevent a "Woops, we didn't _mean_ to give him a lethal injection, we swear!" incident.

This chapter is specifically dedicated to Genesis D. Rose who in fact gave me the idea. I would like to pay major homage in addition to everyone else who reviewed. Coffee and cookies for all! –Cloey Marie-

(P.S. reviewing is still appreciated an insanely large amount.)


	5. Training

They trained because they knew it would save their lives someday, always that distant someday. They trained to grow stronger, to garner the respect so long denied to them from their peers. Mostly however they trained for fun.

"Na-ru-to!" Sakura yelled as she narrowly dodged one of his stray kunai's. "That almost hit my _head_!" Naruto backed up minimally weighing his options.

Giving a somewhat strained smile he rubbed the back of his head trying to look as apologetic as possible. "Sorry Sakura-chan. It's a good thing you're so quick." He half apologized and half complimented the girl.

"Let's try again." Sakura silently accepted the apology but made sure she was further away from the target before he threw this time. With one last grin the boy focused on his task. Planting his feet firmly on the ground he threw the blade. With a _whoosh_ it disappeared into the surrounding foliage, feet from the intended target. Restraining the curse that was fighting its way up Naruto went after the wayward blade, dragging his feet all the way.

"At least it was closer this time!" Sakura shouted at his retreating figure as she positioned herself to practice throwing. Tramping along through the thick underbrush Naruto savagely kicked the plants out of his way.

Nearing the tree line Naruto stopped his attack on the local plant life in favor of creeping forward. It was another training ground, who knew how someone would take their training being interrupted. There! There was the kunai, just his luck it was a good ten feet past where the trees ended. Cursing quietly Naruto scanned the area, finding no one he edged forward eyes constantly moving.

"What are you doing here?" In the trees stood a boy, Naruto's age if he had to hazard a guess, pitch black hair shadowing his eyes adding to the threatening aura that surrounded him.

Puffing out his chest and standing straighter Naruto never lost eye contact with the strange boy as he spoke. "Getting my kunai." It was almost like an unissued challenge hung in the air. "What are you doing here?" Challenge accepted.

The boy arched an eyebrow as he scathingly replied, "training." Resisting the urge to smack his forehead at the stupidity of his question Naruto chuckled somewhat abashedly.

At the sound of footsteps approaching they both faced the intruder. "Honestly Naruto-kun, how long does it take to get one measly…oh." Sakura scolded marching up to her blonde haired friend before noticing that they weren't alone. Silence permeated the air. "Hi I'm Saukra. Who are you?" The girl asked grinning and tilted her head to the side slightly waiting for the response.

No answer.

"Well…would you like to train with us?" Things were getting progressively more awkward.

"Why would I train with you two? One can't through a weapon and the other is a weak little girl. I think I'll train by myself." He spoke the words monotonously but the words had more than enough bite to make up for his lack of tone. Smile slipping off of her face Sakura lightly grabbed Naruto's arm which was quivering by now from pent up frustration.

"You teme! Sakura-chan is nice to you and you just…" Feeling a slight tightening on his arm Naruto halted his tirade to regard his friend worriedly.

"You can't get much better by yourself; you need someone else to help you." She spoke levelly but bore her eyes into his, her words echoed into the depths of the woods. A few seconds passed, then a few more. About to turn and wipe his hands clean of the mysterious kid Naruto was flabbergasted when he started to climb down.

Sakura's smile returned ten fold as she watched him coming towards them. Muttering underneath his breathe Naruto ran quickly to get the kunai, the original purpose behind this situation that had developed. When he returned, weapon firmly in hand as if afraid to lose it again, he just caught the boy utter his first civil word.

"Sasuke." _What the hell was I thinking? _Sasuke stuffed his hands into his pockets trailing after the 'Sakura' girl as she skipped ahead delight almost radiating off of her. Lost in thought Sasuke was rudely interrupted by a tap to the shoulder followed by a fox like grin and a rather simple statement.

"You're it!" With a bound the blonde was off running as fast as his legs would carry him, the girl looked back and catching onto the game sped ahead. Favoring their retreating backs with a small smile he was off. It seemed reckless abandon was contagious.

* * *

Well there you go, an update. Sasuke has finally made his appearance, whether that's a good or bad thing is anyone's guess. Constructive criticism is always appreciated and wanted though praise is never turned down. Thanks for reading! –Cloey Marie- 


	6. Silence

Kick. Walk. Sigh. Kick. Walk. Sigh. Kick. Walk. "Sakura-chan, I'm bored." Naruto whined drawing out the bored to add to the effect. Looking at her with pleading eyes and pouting lips he waited for her to come up with some amazing game to play. Facial expressions becoming pensive Sakura absent mindedly kicked the rock that had been shuffling around with them for the past half an hour as she foxed up something to do.

Kick. Nibble lip. Sigh. Walk. Kick. Sigh. "We could visit Sasuke-kun!" Eyes alight with joy at the prospect of no longer being bored out of her skull Sakura regarded her companion.

"He has that family thing today." Naruto responded sadly.

"Oh, I forgot." Falling back into their silence Sakura strained to think of another activity. "We could…go…fishing!" After a few long pauses Sakura's mind latched onto something. A smile stretched its way across both child's face as they bolted in the direction of the river.

Thirty minutes, seven broken sticks, two snapped lines, and one hit to the head later they were ready to fish. Five minutes after that they were bored again. "Sakura-chan, I'm bored." They both watched their bait bob along the surface with nary a fish to be seen. Once again Sakura pondered on what to do.

"Hey Naruto, what's that?" Squinting into the underbrush Sakura pointed her finger to the area. Whirling around to look for himself Naruto could spot nothing.

"I don't see any…" With a strangled cry he met the water in all its cold glory. Coming back up he was greeting with the sound of Sakura's laughs as she fell backwards unable to contain her hilarity. Sensing an opportunity he splashed her throwing his whole body to create the biggest effect he could. Sputtering indignantly she scooted back out of range for another splash.

Fighting back a grin Naruto spoke. "Help me up Sakura-chan, I promise I won't do it again." Treading water he offered up a hand his eyes imploring her. Dubiously she got up and approached him, seeing that he wasn't making any move to splash her again she grabbed onto his hand and readied herself to heave him upwards and back onto the grassy ledge. With one solid tug she tipped forwards and into the water fire in her eyes.

Bursting out laughing Naruto made sure to distance himself from her, he had no illusions that she would be happy about being dropped into cold water. Breaking the surface of the water Naruto puzzled on how she could look so much like a cat. A very annoyed cat. With a roar Sakura pounced shoving the blonde's head roughly under the water and let it go as she swam away. Hacking up the water that had managed to get in his mouth before he could close it Naruto followed.

It was a full on water war complete with splashing, dunking, tackling, and laughter. After awhile their once mighty splashes had been downsized to flicks of water they called a mutual truce and floated on their backs catching their breathe. "That was fun Sakura-chan." Birds tittered all around mingling with the sound of the woods to create a symphony of noise adding to the beauty of the melting sun.

"That was a lot of fun. We didn't catch any fish though." Kicking along playfully Sakura brought herself by Naruto's side.

"Eh, who cares? Mom probably has something cooking now anyway." He said sagely closing his eyes to better appreciate the simplicity of the moment.

"Yah." Sakura grew quiet watching the sun shedding glorious colors upon the sky and tingeing the trees with gold.

All fell silent.

Rustle, snap. Eyes snapping open Naruto discreetly scanned the trees. "It's quiet Sakura." Words whispered out of the corner of his mouth directly into her ear. Eyes still glued to the horizon she answered.

"Yah, nice isn't it?" A wistful sigh escaped her lips.

Puzzled at how to tell her that complete silence is_ not_ a good thing Naruto settled for linking arms with her and kicking towards shore and out of their very compromising situation. Pushing off of the just reachable river bed Naruto threw himself over Sakura gaining a nick to his right leg instead of a kunai gash in the torso. Sakura grew alert and swam as fast as her small limbs would propel her to the shore. Unquestioning to what caused him to move Naruto backed up eyes constantly in motion trying to find the attacker's hiding place.

With a small grunt of effort Sakura was back on land edging towards her backpack filled with training weapons. A barrage this time, kunai directed at both. Jumping to the left Naruto managed to avoid the weapons. Sakura wasn't so lucky, slicing her right bicep she crumpled to her knees holding the weeping wound. Shuffling forward while keeping her eyes to the direction the projectiles had come Sakura reached her bag. She never noticed her attacker materialize behind her; she did pick up on the abrupt burst of pain before she fell unconscious however.

Hearing a short shout from Sakura Naruto turned to see her fall to the ground knives in her hands with a man standing above her silent as he surveyed his prey. Grabbing a kunai imbedded in the river bed Naruto poised himself to fight completely ignoring the fact that it was a six year old against a trained killer.

"Hey bastard, over here!" Narrowing his eyes in what he hoped was a threatening way Naruto hoped against hope itself that everything would turn out to be okay. Giving a short laugh at the spectacle before him the nin roughly shoved the girl aside with his foot and picked up the bag before throwing it at his target.

"Let's see what you can do kid that's worth as much as I'm getting paid." Catching the bag Naruto loaded himself up while keeping a weary eye on the nin.

"What are you getting paid to do?" Curiosity winning Naruto started to edge towards the land, he couldn't win in the water, he wasn't sure if he could win on land either but the chances improved.

Giving a bark of laughter the nin regarded him with a glint of cruelty dancing in his eyes, "I'm going to take you on a trip kid. I just get you there, that and kill off any _problems_." Giving a significant look to Sakura the nin turned to him once more. "That's my job. Now let's see what makes you so special."

* * *

My first cliff hanger! It's a milestone it is. Well I know where I'm going with this story so expect there to be an actual plot from now on. Amazing I know. Hope you liked it and even if you didn't I would like you to review. Please give me some feedback because as much as I like getting reviews I would rather they contain some criticism then just one or two words. I like something to respond to and keep in mind when I write more. Thank you and have a wonderful day! –Cloey Marie- 


	7. Tainted Innocence

Last time-

_Giving a bark of laughter the nin regarded him with a glint of cruelty dancing in his eyes, "I'm going to take you on a trip kid. I just get you there, that and kill off any problems." Giving a significant look to Sakura the nin turned to him once more. "That's my job. Now let's see what makes you so special." _

* * *

Whipping a shuriken at the enemy nin Naruto used the brief second the nin's attention wasn't on him to haul himself up and onto dry land. Readying a shuriken in each hand Naruto seized up his enemy. No extraordinary bulk or height, muscle mass hidden in relatively baggy clothing making him a wild card.

For a split second Naruto thought of running, he knew the terrain better than his enemy but then he caught sight of Sakura lying on the ground blood trickling out from her wound. He wouldn't leave her, he couldn't. She was all he had, before her he had nothing. Without her, he refused to even entertain the idea.

"You won't hurt Sakura-chan!" Snarling out the words Naruto charged, at the last second he veered right while throwing a shuriken. With a puff of smoke a log replaced the man leaving the log with a shuriken firmly fixed in it. Making an abrupt stop Naruto turned weakly parrying a blow aimed to plunge into his stomach, instead it traveled upward hitting by his ribs and the delicate underside of his left arm. With a howl of pain Naruto launched himself backwards and away from close combat.

Faltering slightly when he landed Naruto watched as the nin chuckled before strolling towards Sakura as if he had not a care in the world. Horrified at this Naruto pulled more weapons from Sakura's backpack that had been secured on his back and flung them desperate to avert the man's attention back to himself. Naruto didn't even notice that his wounds were knitting themselves together.

Without even turning around the four shuriken were deflected leaving them to ricochet. Eyes narrowing in anger Naruto realized something, he was being played with. Fury rising almost tangibly Naruto could feel it spreading through his veins, liquid fire. Giving a barely audible snarl he bounded forward intent upon both protecting Sakura and attacking a foe.

-

Simultaneously four heads turned westward as silence permeated the air. "What the hell was that?" Taking a step towards 'it' the patrol leader whispered harshly.

"A spike in chakra; a huge spike in chakra." The anbu masked woman spoke as she subtly tightened her grip on her katana.

"What could have that large a jump?" Spoke yet another anbu, male this time.

With a mischievous glint in his eye the fourth spoke, "Why don't we find out?" The three looked at their patrol leader for confirmation on their course of action.

"Move out and be on guard." They were off racing to the source of the disturbance.

-

Rushing the nin Naruto delighting in the surprised look his prey was giving him. He had every right to be shocked, the once fine whisker marks on the boy's face had deepened and spread jaggedly, his eyes were no longer round and innocent they had hardened unexplainable, his canines poked out from his bared mouth. Eyes widening marginally the nin quickly made hand signals to avert the growing danger. "Doton: Doroku Gaeshi!" Slamming both hands into the ground and then bringing them upwards with a wall of earth following the hands the nin waited.

…Silence…

Snapping his head upwards the nin had time to see the boy beast hurl himself out of a tree claws fully intending to rip into him. Rolling away from his earthen wall and towards the river the nin could hear the boy coming towards him. Drawing a kunai from his thigh pouch he threw hoping to deter him.

Vaguely Naruto felt a pain in his face, his cheek but it was gone in a second. He could only see things tinged in red, feel only the bloodlust that had washed over him. Naruto wasn't sure he liked this but he found he couldn't control it. He didn't care for the harsh laughter that echoed to him from somewhere within him either. Naruto was scarred but that too wasn't shared by this, whatever had taken hold of him.

-

Nearing the immense chakra the patrol split up surrounding their unknown target while taking cover in the thick foliage surrounding the river. Closing in slowly they kept in contact via radio headsets.

"Cat, do you have a visual?" The captain's rough and gravely voice crackled out.

"Negative…wait, I can see something red. What is it?" Creeping forward further she briefly ignored the chatter in her ear as she slunk forward careful to mask her chakra and keep silent.

"Cat…Cat…answer me Cat." A different male voice this time.

"I'm moving forward for a better look." Slowly she went further almost not catching what was said next.

"Do not go further, I repeat do not move. Hawk has visual." Captain commanded steel in his tone.

"There's a fight going on, a kid against an adult. The kid's winning but…" Hawk trailed off unsure how to describe the scene before him. "He's all red, surrounded in red more like. There's a girl too, down about a hundred yards, knocked out looks like."

"Well Captain?" The fourth member of the team prompted.

"Move in but do not be seen."

-

Naruto couldn't feel much of anything but he could smell, it smelt of rotten things, dank, dusty things that almost made him gag but that was impossible wasn't it? The forest smelt of new things, floral, and earthy things. For a second he thought he felt something wet on his arm, thought he heard someone say, "Guess you are something special kid, damn you."

Then he came to, things were real again and he hated it. Blood, on his hands, his body. Dead body, the nin that had threatened him, Sakura-chan. With a start he realized he didn't know where Sakura-chan was. Was she ok? Looking around wild eyed he saw her, exactly where she had slumped to the ground, wound still there just as she was.

Dragging his utterly exhausted body over to his best friend before he fell by her, energy drained. Pulling her towards him, he hugged her to himself needing her warmth now more than ever. She was safe, she could make everything better. Crushing her limp body to him Naruto fell unconscious tears making their way from his eyes into her hair.

-

"Captain?" Hawk questioned watching as Cat and Tiger examined the battle ground.

"It was the container." Quietly as if afraid to speak the words at all. Hawk waited for Captain to elaborate. "The Kyuubi container. The boy." Hawk gazed at the sight of the two children huddled together lost in oblivion.

"Hard to believe." Hawk said slowly.

Captain nodded his head tiredly, "Have to tell the Hokage."

"Of course. What do you think will happen?" Hawk inquired watching the older man out of the corner of his eye.

"Nothing I want to know about." Captain returned stoically before giving his head a shake to get the thoughts out of his head. "Back to business, let's get these two to the Hokage, he can deal with it."

* * *

The plot is on the move. Now I'm spoiling you all with such a quick update, don't expect this to happen too often. My usual request as an author is in place, so if you love me (or my writing) then please review. 

**Doton: Doroku Gaeshi (Earth Type: Upside-down Mud Wall)**


	8. A Future Uncertain

Not without a small flourish the Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village placed the last piece of paper upon the now tottering stack of 'done' papers. Allowing a small content smile to overtake his features Sarutobi took in the very appealing sight of an end to the work day. Patting the desk fondly he moved to stand but sat back down when a cloud of smoke popped into existence.

Fighting the urge to rub away the headache that he could feel blossoming in his temples Sarutobi waited for the smoke to disappear and the crises to present itself. Quietly taking in the sight of anbu squad thirteen holding two children in their arms, bleeding with dirt and grime on their small bodies Sarutobi waited for an explanation.

The captain stepped forward clearing his throat as he did so. Hawk and Cat quietly set the children down in nearby chairs before going back to their positions behind their leader. His eyes widened slightly when he realized exactly who the children were; Naruto and Sakura.

"Hokage, while patrolling sector three in the forest we noticed a large jump in chakra with no attempt to mask itself. We traced it to its source and discovered the girl unconscious with a leg wound and a minor concussion but without any extensive damage."

Taking a small breathe he continued, "The boy was engaging an unknown nin with no markings to signify his village. The jump in chakra had come from the boy who at this time was surrounded in red chakra; it was giving off a very intense heat. After defeating the enemy nin with little trouble the boy went to the girl and collapsed." Silence permeated the air as the Hokage took in the implications of this seemingly staring at his hand with an absent minded gaze.

The soft sound of his hand falling onto the desk seemed to shake the elderly man from his trance as his eyes hardened and his posture straightened. "I want a detailed report in my hand in an hour from each of you." Ignoring the bowing ninjas Sarutobi pressed a buzzer that summoned his personal aide to his side.

He didn't have to wait long as a rather unremarkable man save for the scar that crossed his face bustled in papers tucked under his arm and writing utensil shoved behind his ear. Before the man had a chance to close the door the Hokage was talking as he pulled out blank paper and started writing furiously. "I need Kakashi in here in an hour, on time. Lie if you have to. Set up a council meeting tomorrow, as late as possible. Also, an adapt medic in here would be wonderful."

With small bow and a formal, "Hokage-sama" the man was back out the door leaving the Hokage to flesh out his plans every now and again stopping to behold the young boy before him that had managed to worm his way into the old man's heart. Each time he looked up his strength and resolve renewed itself and Sarutobi pushed the doubt to the back of his mind where it would stay with any luck.

The medic came first, without even stopping his writing he pointed towards the children and ignored the foreign presence completely. A few minutes later Iruka came back slightly out of breathe. Breaking from his tasks long enough to hear that Iruka had done as instructed the Hokage assigned him another task. "There's a body in sector three, the forest area. It needs to be recovered and the battle scene taken car of. The usually analysis's should be preformed."

Shortly after Sarutobi had the reports from the anbu safely in his possession he poured over them taking in every minute detail. Checking the clock he noted that in five minutes Kakashi would be here. Standing up the Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village felt every year in his long life weighing him down. Sluggishly he moved to crouch by the small child who was perhaps the greatest savior the village had ever seen.

Dismissing the medic-nin with a curt nod he steeled himself for the next few days and all the trials they would bring. Shaking the boy gently he waited for wide eyes to open still hazy from sleep. "Naruto, I need you to tell me what happened." Spoken softly but with a firm tone the man waited for conformation on what he hoped had taken place.

Tears started to well up as Naruto tucked himself into a ball casting his eyes away from the person he both loved and respected. Seeing Sakura in an identical chair safe no longer bleeding alleviated the pressured feeling that had been inside of him. Turning back to the Hokage he spoke in a small voice, "He was going to hurt Sakura-chan." Naruto waited for the Hokage to do something, instead he stayed still, face solemn. Suddenly he was up and back behind his desk digging around in search of something.

Sliding off his chair Naruto went to Sakura and marveled that she was good as new again, nothing to show the ordeal they had been through. _Maybe that means it never happened! _He thought excitedly a smile almost breaking out before his mind caught up and shoved the facts to the forefront. The Hokage had asked what had happened. It had taken place. He had killed someone. Feeling sick to his stomach Naruto slid to the ground holding Sakura's hand as if it were life itself.

Naruto heard the slight pop and could smell the smoke as a ninja appeared in the office but he couldn't bring himself to focus in on it. He was drifting in wonderful numb bliss with only a light grip on reality.

"The Kyuubi…came out…reversing not…"

"Me? Why…"

"No one else…trust…years…money…"

"Where…teach…dangerous."

When he felt someone taking Sakura's hand out of his grasp his perceptions sharpened enough to understand that he didn't _want_ to let go. Wild eyed he struggled to hold on against the silver haired demon that was trying to take away his Sakura-chan.

"Relax Naruto, she needs to go home. Her mother is very worried." The soothing voice of _someone _he knew penetrated the haze and he loosened his grip. Rolling his head back to see who had spoken he saw two men conversing. "You need to go now Kakashi, the council alone won't be pleased and if the citizens find out…I wouldn't be able to do anything about it."

"I understand the situation Hokage-sama." The one who Naruto supposed was Kakashi responded.

"Good." Pressing a pouch that clanked pleasingly into Kakashi's hands the older man continued. "I want a report of the situation every month. I have a few things in there that will get you into safe havens but don't stay long, for obvious reasons. More than one person wants him and every single one doesn't have our best interests in mind." For the first time in his life Naruto realized how very old the Hokage was.

"Come on little one." Kakashi hummed with a smile visible through his mask. "We've got quite the adventure ahead." With no further preamble Kakashi picked him up and placed him on his shoulders leaving his hands free to use the standard teleportation jutsu.

"Take care of him Kakashi." Naruto waved as he tried to figure out what was going on that would cause the Hokage to be misty eyed. With a white flash Naruto left the world he had know with all of it's joys and sorrows for a future uncertain.

-

This is to get things moving. Essentially the Hokage had to slip Naruto out of the village otherwise people would call for his death so that the Kyuubi wouldn't have a chance of escaping the seal. Not my favorite chapter but it came out the nicest, wrote it in two hours. Not bad if I do say so myself. Feedback is always appreciated aka review!


	9. Gathering Dust

It had taken Naruto hours to realize that they were going far away from home; days to piece together that they _couldn't_ go back. After that it was a matter of seconds for the emotions to rush in leaving Kakashi to deal with a very upset six-year old. "I want to go home!" Naruto wailed piteously fat tears rolling down his round cheeks.

Blinking at the sudden outburst from the boy who had until moments ago been walking along somewhat quietly Kakashi did the only thing he could think of doing. Squatting down to the child's level Kakashi tried to make him laugh. Funny faces, no effect. Tickling only made him cry harder. Cheesy jokes were of no help either. Throwing his hands up in frustration he didn't expect his charge to take it as an open invitation to hug him.

Patting his head somewhat awkwardly Kakashi let the child cling to him eventually even relaxing into the position. The tears stopped soon enough and Kakashi realized moments later that the boy had fallen asleep; little wonder being that the child was six and unused to trekking miles everyday. Smoothly the twenty-one year old picked him up and continued on careful not to jostle him.

-

It had been a month since Naruto had left and Sakura hated every second. Nothing was the same without him. The bedtime stories that they had shared for a few precious months before he left lacked the luster they once had. Playing and training with Sasuke was a quiet affair having only sparse bursts of laughter, nothing compared to the hilarity there used to be. The bullies got worse, they preyed on her loneliness. Her mother could be found in Naruto's room running her hands over his threadbare clothing. Sakura had begged for everything to be kept where it was for when he came back. Mrs. Haruno hadn't the heart to tell her daughter that he wouldn't be coming back, not for a very long time, so she left it just as it was gathering dust.

Two more months came and went with no Naruto. Sakura had turned seven. She blew out her birthday cake candles wishing to have her best friend returned to her. She had friends now, Sasuke and more recently Ino but they couldn't be Naruto; fill the space he had left in his wake.

-

They stopped at a village for a week replenishing supplies and enjoying the comforts of an actual bed. Whenever they stopped at an actual village, a rare occurrence, Naruto noticed Kakashi always sat down and wrote. Being the curious child that he was Naruto would peek at the words, after months of doing this he realized exactly where the letters were going to. Home. "Kakashi!" Tugging at the older mans clothing Naruto demanded his attention.

"Yes Naruto?" Kakashi responded not bothering to stop writing or to look at the child.

"I want to write to Sakura-chan." Naruto insisted. He waited for an answer but only received the grating sound of the pencil as it scratched its way across the paper. He was about to chew Kakashi out when wordlessly a piece of paper was handed to him with a pencil. Giving a loud whoop of joy Naruto set out to write to his Sakura-chan.

-

"For Miss Haruno, Sakura." With a slight bow the messenger poofed out of being leaving a cloud of smoke in his place. Closing the door Mrs. Haruno wondered why her daughter would get a letter delivered to her by an aid of the Hokage none-the-less.

"Sakura!" Calling her daughter Mrs. Haruno waited.

"Yah Mom?" Sakura made her way down the stairs curious as to the reason of her mothers summons. Wordlessly she held the letter out to her daughter. Taking the letter somewhat dubiously she gingerly opened it and was met with poor handwriting but the message was distinguishable.

_Dear Sakura-chan I miss you lots. Me and Kakashi never stay still, that's why I haven't written to you before. Plus Kakashi didn't tell me he was writing to home. He's a big meanie, not normally though. Tell Mom I miss her too, and tell Sasuke that I'll be back to beat him! I miss you most though. Your best friend ever! –Naruto_

She smiled as she cried hugging the letter closely to herself and was gathered into her mother's arms where she told her mom of the letters contents. They both cried as they laughed at Naruto's antics, they couldn't have been happier. Their first word of Naruto in more than six months. Half a year since they had seen the missing piece of their already broken family.

-

"But Kakashi, I don't want to train." Naruto whined stomping his foot accentuate his point.

"Just think as soon as you master this jutsu you won't have to practice it anymore." Kakashi offered while flipping the page of his novel.

"Really?" Eyes alight at the prospect Naruto formed the hand seals. He didn't notice Kakashi's careful wording, a fact that the lazy twenty-one year old was most pleased with.

-

It had been a week since Sakuke's birthday. A day they had celebrated together, at the spot they met. They spent it playing tag, laying down and staring up at the leaves with the sun pouring down, and laughing. It felt so good to laugh like she used to.

That day when she woke up, a week past the birthday, Sakura hurried into her clothes, ate her breakfast quickly, and was out the door to Sasuke's house before her mother could even tell her when to be home.

For being as early in the morning as it was the streets were unusually crowded, even more so the closer to her friend's house she got. Not letting it bother her she fought her way threw the crowd to hit a strip of yellow police tape. Cocking her head to the side in confusion she tried to see what was going on that would warrant all of this activity.

Blood decorated the house and floors in morbid adornment.

Sasuke never was the same. He was a friend still but in the loosest sense of the word, it seemed his emotions had been drawn out of him just as his parents life blood had been robbed them. Not knowing what to do to make it better Sakura trained with him. Resolved to help him in any way he needed even though he showed little in way of improvement. A small smile graced his lips only rarely; Sakura knew that she was the reason he did so at all. It was enough.

* * *

Another chapter done that I'm rather proud of. The ages of the characters are: Sakura- seven, Sasuke- eight, Kakashi- twenty-one, and Naruto- seven. Naruto's letter is purposely incorrect grammatically.

This chapter is dedicated to my late cousin whom died Saturday, January 27th 2007. Nothing is ever that bad.


	10. Sakura was

When Sakura was with Ino she laughed. She did the things all kunoichi must learn to do: flower arranging, dancing, and acting as any civilian girl would. Sakura was a typical girl.

When Sakura was with Sasuke she fought. She trained saying nothing; instead she let every action speak. Sakura was a warrior.

When Sakura was with her mother she was content. Every household task held its own satisfaction. Her mother had never been a boisterous woman and Sakura found herself reflecting that. The silence was there just as her mother was. Sakura was her mother's daughter.

When Sakura was alone she thought. Letting all of the days events trickle into order as her inner self squawked and danced about keen to be heard as Sakura sat back and enjoyed her own private show.

Sometimes thinking scared Sakura though, she couldn't remember everything. Her father was being lost to nowhere. His scent was no longer in the weave of his clothing nor was it in her mind. What frightened her more was that Naruto was starting to do the same.

She loathed her mind for that; for being feeble enough to forget them, all the details she had hoarded deep within. Recalling them only sparingly like digging up precious jewels before burying them again to keep them _safe_.

They were going like water through a sieve and she _couldn't_ stop it. Her inner self was never present when she thought as hard as she could tearing apart her mind to _remember_. She never could.

Every letter that came to Sakura from Naruto was tenderly placed in a box that she had bought for that exact reason. She would read the letters when the night was too dark for her to bear alone, when Sasuke was too cold to be human, when the bullies were still too big and strong and she too weak. Naruto's aura shone through every piece of paper and called to her. It gave her something to rally behind, he could never be forgotten all the way, she had evidence of his existence: something even her forgetful mind couldn't lose.

Cradling the box to her chest she could almost feel his long forgotten warmth seeping into her and calming her already troubled mind. What bothered Sakura the most was she could never write back; they were always on the move and to leave an address was unacceptable. She learned of all the new techniques he was taught, of Kakashi's latest antics, not to mention the people he met along the way. Little to nothing was kept from the letters, even some things Sakura would have preferred he left out.

When Sakura was alone she simply was. She allowed impulses to have free reign, a fact inner Sakura was most appreciative of, letting emotions come and go with no resistance or hindrance from her. Sakura was Sakura.

* * *

Ok, I have been mulling over this chapter for quite the length of time. I wanted to break it in two with the first half being what you just read and the second half being Naruto's take on their separation, sadly my Muse washed its hands of this idea. So I apologize for how short this is.

You know there is a new scientific study that shows that reviewing is good for your health. This survey was funded by none other than myself, Cloey Marie, and by funded I meant made up entirely. But you shouldn't risk your health by not reviewing. Therefore review, please. –Cloey Marie-


	11. In The Woods

Ages-

Naruto- 10

Kakashi- 25

Mystery Person- 13

* * *

"But why do we have to go to Wave?" Naruto asked sullenly as he allowed his feet to drag on the well worn dirt path.

Not even bothering to look up from his book Kakashi responded, "If you haven't listened for the first five times I told you, what would make the sixth time different?" Both walked on in silence as Naruto pondered upon how to respond.

Finally giving up on giving a calm response Naruto threw up his arms in exasperation. "Just because the Hokage said some trouble makers were there. There were plenty where we were already!" Pouting at how unfair things were Naruto stomped on. "I was gonna beat Gaara soon too." The aggravated boy grumbled trying to guilt trip his sensei into taking them back.

"It seemed to me that he had you beat pretty badly." Eyes curved in a smile Kakashi recalled the blond pounding his bare fist on a solid wall of sand only to have a tendril snake around the offending limb and whip the boy twenty feet away before the sand crept back into a gourd shape revealing a very smug redhead.

"I meant for him to do that." Naruto defended stiffly not looking at his mentor.

"Training time." Halting in his steps Kakashi turned off the main road and into the surrounding wooded area as his charge crashed along after him. "Stealth training, two hours, ten mile radius, find me." After delivering his requirements Kakashi faded out of existence leaving Naruto to the hunt.

Scrambling up a tree he masked his chakra to the best of his abilities as he hid in the foliage debating which way to go first. _I'll go back the way we came and then sweep along to the…east! Kakashi-sensei will never know what hit him! _Rocketing off the tree branch he pushed chakra to his feet in order to propel himself forward and to cushion his landing on each limb making his movements little above the natural hum of forest activity.

Stretching out his senses to encompass a bubble of roughly five hundred yards in any way Naruto was careful to keep hidden as he made his way along scanning diligently for any disturbance. Hardly fifteen minutes into the exercise, a faint tingling at the edge of his awareness caused him to veer of course to investigate. It was far too early in the game for Kakashi to be discovered so it was probably just some travelers, but why would they be so far off the path?

Heroic images of it being some missing nin intent upon wrecking havoc which would be quickly put to a stop with Naruto on the scene. Other such images flashed through his mind as he closed in on the unknown person(s), one of these involving a woman captured that looked startlingly like a certain pink haired girl that he would of course save.

Slowing down Naruto inched forward careful not to make a sound lest he alert the person of his presence. It was a girl; a very pretty girl Naruto noticed settling on a spot to watch her movements. She just sat there eyes closed as long brown hair stirred by the faint wind moved over her face. Throwing himself out of the tree Naruto barely managed to avoid being pinned to the oak by five eight inch needles. _I didn't even see her move! _

Abandoning any pretense of stealth since he had already been spotted he swore profusely as he twisted his body in order to grab a tree branch on the way down. Using the tree limb to swing his body to the next branch he narrowly missed another volley of needles. "What the hell!" Naruto shouted at his attacker whom hardly looked any older then he did. "I didn't even attack you!"

Jumping to the next branch down Naruto noticed there wasn't a number of needles in the tree where he had just been. Cautiously he waited for her to speak, ready to move if necessary.

"Why were you watching me?" She asked voice pleasant but tinged with distrust.

Scratching his head awkwardly Naruto realized what she had thought; "I wanted to see why someone would be so far out here." She had not relaxed her stance and Naruto realized that she wanted a different answer.

"I'm training with my Sensei; we're from Leaf." Since she was from Mist, or so Naruto presumed, there would be no problems, their countries were allied.

Slowly her posture relaxed and the icy flint to her eyes thawed. "So, why are you out here?" Naruto jumped the remaining feet from the tree to land gracefully before cocking his head as he awaited her response.

"I was also training with my Sensei." Giving her a wide smile he plopped down on the ground eager to converse with the foreign kunoichi. With a noticeable amount of grace she also sat. "What are you learning?" She asked politely.

"Stupid stealth stuff. How am I supposed to find Kakshi-Sensei? He's the teacher for a reason!" Waving his arms around to more accentuate his point Naruto stopped when he heard a giggle. Looking at this new girl who was laughing he couldn't control the blush that heated his face.

"I'm Naruto."

"Haku."

"Haku? Isn't that a boy's name?"

"It is." Feeling very confused Naruto examined the person whom was sitting across from him that now had a light blush decorating their face. Eyes widening at the realization Naruto leaned forward taking in every feature.

Blinking owlishly and leaning back Naruto couldn't help the, "Holy shitt," that escaped him.

* * *

Wow! Now was that a zippy update or what?! You can chalk that up to a snow day and my inability to get out of the house. Anyone who knew who it was before I revealed the name, treat yourself to a cookie.

Ok, since I'm so excited about hitting the hundredth review I shall offer up a bit of incentive. You request a pairing (has to include Sakura) and I shall write it for you. If you don't want this I'll simply pass this opportunity down to the hundred eleventh reviewer as 111 is a simply amazing number. One other thing is that I would prefer that it wasn't ChickxChick action but if you're absolutely dead set on it, I'll try my hand. –Cloey Marie-


	12. Harangue

"So, you're a boy."

"Yes." Following the confirmation Naruto was still hard pressed to believe the person sitting across from him, that looked amused by the whole situation, was in fact a male. Giving up on the fruitless gender determination Naruto looked up towards the sun to see how much time he had left to search out his frustrating teacher.

"Shit! I only have five more minutes to find Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto moaned glancing about feverously in a last ditch attempt to fulfill the training mission.

Haku sat just as calmly as before while he took amusement in the strange boy's behavior. "My own sensei should be coming soon."

Naruto puzzled over this new development. Should he stay? Would it compromise Kakashi and himself? Most importantly: would Kakashi be angry if he stayed? Yes, it was time for him to depart, find Kakashi, and blame his lateness on falling asleep or some such ridiculous excuse that no one would buy coming from anyone but himself.

"I'd better get going." Naruto uttered apologetically as he stood and dusted himself off.

"Will your sensei be angry at you for talking to me?" Haku asked tilting his head upwards to see the boy properly.

"He's not going to find out." Naruto laughed out. _At least I hope not. _

"Do you respect your sensei?" The foreign nin queried softly, a thoughtful air to his tone and expression. Without even giving it a true thought Naruto seated himself again amongst the grass.

"The pervert?" Naruto laughed softly at this before becoming sober. "Yah, he raised me. He's got my respect." Nodding his head as if to confirm the truth of his statement Naruto regarded the boy still seated on the ground.

"We are alike then." Haku responded making Naruto wonder who this boy really was and if they were truly as similar as the boy seemed to think.

"He is your special person." The mysterious boy smiled at this and Naruto marveled that one so young could look so very _old_ when smiling.

"One of them." _Sakura._

"Ah, you are lucky then." The smile was still upon his lips but the boy's eyes seemed to have faded into blankness. Silence permeated the air but Naruto found himself comforted by it and didn't mind the quiet as he usually did.

"Didn't you say you had to leave?" With a start Naruto found himself yanked from his peaceful state into cursing wildly as saw that it was now twenty minutes passed the time limit.

"Bye Haku, I'll see you again!" The demon carrier didn't think of the effects of his words, he was far more concerned with his lack of an excuse. The mysterious boy however felt the effect of the words and was touched by the simple gesture of wanting to be seen again. As he waited for his sensei Haku thought that it _would_ be nice having two special people.

Crashing through the underbrush in his haste to find Kakashi Naruto winced as he spotted the perverted nin reading his Ichi Ichi book in the tree tops. Kakashi had no doubt heard every mistake Naruto had made and would appropriately fling them at him when he reached him. Shame faced Naruto made his way up the tree.

"One and a half hours, report." Without even looking up from his book he froze his charge to the spot.

"Well… there was this grey squirrel and I thought it was you so I chased that for a half hour, being very stealthy and…"

"You fell asleep, didn't you?" Kakashi stopped him halfway through his prepared harangue.

Chuckling and rubbing the back of his head Naruto 'admitted,' "Yah, I was just so tired. Sorry Kakshi-sensei. It won't happen again."

Kakashi grunted his acceptance. Snapping his book shut he smiled to let the abashed looking boy know that he was forgiven. "It seems that we'll just have to do more stealth training. I'd be surprised if there's a single twig left whole after you stomped through."

* * *

It had started off simply enough. Ino-chan and Sasuke-san were busy for the day. So, Sakura, being the studious girl she was, decided to train by herself. Two hours into it she had finished her reading for class, her exercises, and she had then moved onto kunai throwing. Resigning herself to the task at hand Sakura buckled on her belt of kunai. Simply put she was far from excelling in the art of knife throwing. This fact was painfully brought to her attention when in a totally unforeseeable and completely not her fault accident occurred.

She had thrown it straight into her neighbor's window and the blade had continued on into the home. Sakura had little contact with her neighbor; she had only seen him on a handful of occasions and barely knew his name; Gekkou, Hayate. When she had seen him he looked as if he was suffering from a very serious case of insomnia. Being that she knew so little about him it was only natural that she be intimidated by him and scared out of her mind as to how he would take a kunai imbedded into his sofa or wall.

Riveted to the spot Sakura stood contemplating the pros and cons of either owning up to her mistake or running into her house and hoping that in addition to being sickly her neighbor was also oblivious. That was how he found her: stock still, wide eyed, and with a belt of kunai slung around her hips, one mysteriously missing from its holster.

"This yours?" Without waiting for her to respond in the affirmative he threw the weapon at the girl. Narrowly she stopped the blade from becoming close friends with her stomach. Eyebrows furrowed in indignation she watched the strange neighbor she now knew to be a ninja to make his next move.

"Throw it." He spoke flatly in both tone and words, giving off a tired and uncaring air. Sakura hesitated at this. He was confusing her terribly, he wasn't scolding her but he did throw a kunai at her. Sakura found herself wishing she had gone inside.

"Throw it at me." The slight edge of annoyance in his tone informed Sakura that it was best not to keep the man waiting. Assuming the throwing stance she launched the knife at the man and missed by three feet. Wincing at her poor skill and the sound of the blade sinking into the side of his house she was sorely tempted to just walk away and save what little dignity she still had left.

Bashfully she looked at her neighbor hoping he wouldn't be too irate. His face was expressionless as he turned to retrieve the wayward blade. Before Sakura knew what was going on she felt him nudge her feet into a wider stance and push her right elbow upwards.

"What are you…"

"Protecting my house." The nin smiled briefly before signaling her to try again. It was better, she guessed it to be about two feet off the target and hit a tree instead of the much abused home. Smiling widely at her improvement the girl took another kunai from its holster and resuming the position he had put her in and chucked it.

Over the next hour she made incremental progress with increasingly little input from her neighbor that was no longer so intimidating. When at last she hit the bull's eye she turned and bowed to him that had helped her so.

"Thank you for teaching me." Straightening herself she beamed up at him.

"Keep practicing." With faintly upturned lips the man ambled back to his home.

Unable to restrain herself, she called out to him, "Do you think you could teach me how to use other weapons? Not now but later, maybe." Fiddling with an empty holster Sakura waited for the answer.

"Later, maybe." Smiling at her good fortune the youth continued to practice her throwing.

* * *

Well, that was a long wait, eh? It was simply gorgeous outside so I decided to write while I watched my little siblings play with the hose. An hour of writing later I finished this chapter. Talk about writing pouring out! Now that I have more time and my muse is back updates will be more frequent and the promised prize fics are being finished up so they'll be out soon. -Cloey Marie- 


	13. Surreal

Wheezing she back flips to avoid the two blades that were swung sideways to cleave her legs into three separate pieces. They've been at it for an hour in the hot summer air and Sakura doesn't think she can keep up his intense pace for much longer. It doesn't bother her that he doesn't even look effected by the spar while she is borderline collapsing. He's anbu after all. In fact, it just goads her into working harder.

"Water break?" She calls to him as she rolls out of the way from the vertical strike. The tang of the swords being sheathed let her know that he agrees. Not feeling it necessary to get the water just then she lies on the ground content in the shade of the tree.

"Exams are this week." She says looking up into the foliage lackadaisically. He makes a small 'hm' sound in the back of his throat as he sits down in the cool grass. "Are you going to take on a team?" The girl questions looking at her makeshift teacher out of the corner of her eyes.

"Hadn't even thought about it." Sakura thinks he's lying.

"Well you should." She sits up and looks at him, inflating herself on familiarity and the banter of their relationship. "You never know; you might get lucky and get me." Proudly she jabs her thumb at herself.

"Who says that's luck?" He teases ruffling her hair.

"It'd better be luck, you're the one who taught me! Unless you're saying no one wants _you_ on their team." Sakura sticks out her tongue to emphasize her dig.

"Well then, every one is going to be fighting over who gets to have you as a student." He chuckles at the girl as she flops back down onto the grass.

"Hey," he trails off waiting for Sakura's attention to focus itself on him. "I've got a mission." She fixes her shrewd eyes upon him but does not speak. They've been through this before.

"I'll leave later today; it'll take me a few days to complete." She isn't happy with this but she knows better than to voice her discontent. It is his life and the life that awaits her should she continue down her current path. It bothers him to see her upset at him, if only indirectly. It has been two years since he started teaching her and she became a friend in the process.

"You know," he starts slyly a twinkle present in his eyes that usually look sick and tired. "I _heard_ that someone's mission was supposed to end soon." He waits for her to catch on to his hints. He can't say it outright but he can't keep it from her either.

Her eyebrows furrow in confusion. "Yah, it was a really _long_ mission too. _Years,_ they say." Hayate grins as he watches her puzzle it out and laughs when he sees that she has seized upon the answer. Her mouth falls open and her eyes are perfectly round.

She attempts to pounce on him and throttle the information out of him but she holds a lawn ornament in his place. Wild eyed she peers around before flinging the lawn gnome away as she races at her neighbor. "When?" Her voice bursts with excitement.

"That would require you beating me with a sword." It has never happened before but Sakura vows that this will be the first. Swiftly she plucks the thrown weapon out of the air and charges. The water is completely forgotten.

* * *

"Hey Kakashi, when are we going back?" The pre-teen asked softly feeling that it would be unnecessary to speak louder and break the morning's lull. Naruto felt no need to say where they were going back to, he knew his companion well enough to know he entertained thoughts of it too.

"Soon." Kakashi walked on while reading, seemingly absorbed with his smut but Naruto has seen it proven that appearances aside, the man is totally alert and in tune with their environment.

"Soon?" _How long is that?_ Gazing at the woods Naruto can feel the déjà vu creeping along making his hair stand on end at the irritant. It bothers him. The feeling that he _should _know this road, these trees, this place but the faint feeling does not spread to the fore front of his mind no matter how hard he tries to encourage it.

Kakashi does not speak further and he knows the futileness of prodding. When Kakashi doesn't want to talk no force can sway him. Growing tired of the monotonous walking Naruto turns his back to the unknown destination to walk backwards. Barely a challenge but it serves to distract him from his companion's tight lip.

Suddenly the feeling has spread and the golden haired boy recognizes where he is. Mouth agape in shock and wonder he walks forward traveling the same path he did when fleeing the village all those years ago. Unable to contain himself he punches his fist in the air and yells before running to his sensei.

"Can I go ahead?" As Kakashi looks into blue eyes that quiver with too much emotion to be confined to such a small place he thinks that he has grown too soft.

"Meet me at the ramen stand at noon." The youth is so ecstatic he latches on to the man's midsection in a hasty hug before scampering off into the trees tops where he can cover distance faster. Chuckling at his six year charge's exuberance Kakashi can't help but speed up his own pace. It is good to be home.

-

When Naruto presents his traveling papers to the wall guards he is hard pressed to not hug them or at the very least give them both a heart handshake. They do their job slowly and Naruto is quickly losing patience. When they do give him back his papers he is no longer tempted to hug them and instead bolts off into the mass of early morning shoppers.

Ever building remembered brings a rush of adrenaline. Every street name reminded him of memories that had once been buried. Every person brought a lump to his throat. There, there is Iruka-sensei, ha has not aged. Naruto has to keep himself from yelling out to him and everyone he sees. There are two people he must see that have been kept waiting for too long to justify any side excursions now.

He is cruelly ripped from his pleasant thoughts by a voice calling out, "The demon is back!" with a finger pointed at him and a snarl of revulsion on the middle aged woman's face. It takes him a second to register the fact that she is talking about him. It has been so long since he was last cursed in this way. With a roll of emotion Naruto recalls the taunts, looks, and physical abuse. Forcefully he pushes the black thoughts away and instead focuses on Sakura. Ducking through the crowd of people he manages to get away without further incident.

To his immense relief he sees the street sign that advertises Sakura's road. Mood back up he runs along the road keeping an eye out for his pink haired friend. There she is! She's training with swords and an older man in her yard. Naruto takes the long awaited sight in. She is taller, more skilled, and has never before been so perfectly gorgeous.

"Sakura-chan!" He shouts as he runs towards her delirious with happiness. Six years apart after such an abrupt departure has served to make the moment seem surreal. With a start she looks up bewildered. Her eyes widen in realization and she drops the sword to the ground, leaves the now laughing man behind, and runs to him.

They collide full force falling down, dissolving into giggles and tears. The man she was sparring with shakes his head in amusement before collecting his weapons and going home. They will train another day.

* * *

Was that a quick update or what? I rather like this chapter, do you? Please tell me what you think by sending me this lovely little thing called a review. Also, I am now putting up previews for chapter updates and new stories on my profile so if you want a sneak peak or to see how long you'll have to wait for something to be posted just go on over to my corner of Marie- 


	14. Change

"Hokage-sama." Kakashi inclined his head in greeting upon poofing into the office. The Hokage leaned back in his chair, taking the other man in. No visible difference aside from the loss of tension that had been noticeable only to the most careful of observances prior to the mission. Nodding his head in turn, he allowed himself a small smile. It seemed the trip was good for everyone involved.

"Where's Naruto?" Leaning forward the Hokage began ruffling through his papers, grabbing the necessary documents that would need to be filled out to chronicle all that had transpired in the six years they've been gone.

"Went to see Sakura." Surutobi nodded his head, he had expected as much.

"Was it a success? Can he control it?" It is the most important question, one that decides the life of a child and the value of wishful hopes.

"To an extent, as he grows he gains more control but..." Sarutobi processes the information, waiting for the full reality to be revealed so the future can be shaped to accommodate.

"When he does lose control, it's hard for him to regain it." It is something at least.

"Submit a full report in a week's time and we will discuss this further, and Kakashi, you'd better rest up. I will have another assignment for you at that time." Poofing away, he leaves to meet his ward of six years, marginally late.

Sighing deeply the third Hokage of the hidden village of the leaf rises, walking over to his view of his city and wonders if he can bear to ignore another threat. Oroshimaru had the most potential and when it went bad, it was... Silencing his current track of thought he consoled himself with the knowledge that this was no Orochimaru, nor was he the same naïve man he had once been, at least he hoped so.

-

After collecting themselves and dusting off, Naruto was brought home where another bout of tears ensued. He had never been so happy in his life, nor had so much affection and genuine love been shown with such heartbreaking clarity.

"Let's get you settled. Sakura, let the poor boy get his bearings. Naruto, dear, you go put your things in your room and I'll make lunch." Giving Naruto another hug Sakura followed her mother into the kitchen leaving Naruto alone to explore his once again home. Making his way out of the living room and into the hallway he is stopped when he sees the family photos, he is there. Placed at the forefront of the other pictures.

A small smile graces his face as he sees his younger self, its good to be missed. Sakura is there too, he watches, seeing through the pictures her growth. Feeling a pang of sadness he moves on, he wasn't here. Wasn't here for his best friend, all those years gone and all he can do is look at what was. Pushing the door to his room open he is awash in a sea of memories. Nothing has changed, all the things he left are still in their proper places and though everything is clean and well taken care of, it is obvious that it was done out of loving remembrance. Allowing himself to sit on the bed he takes it all in. The blanket that he and Sakura fell asleep together under after staying up too late, exchanging jokes and giggling. The nightstand that had to be glued together, games of tag never boded well for furniture. It's all here, the life he left behind, and he wonders, can he slip back into it, into what once was?

No, no he can't. But that's okay because nothing else stayed exactly the same. Sakura grew up, no longer the shy bashful thing she was and maybe that's why he can come back. Because they're all different and yet so similar. She's still his best friend and he's still hers. Grinning madly he rises and walks back to the kitchen, back to where he belongs.

-

Scanning the crowd again Kakshi idly wonders if people get this annoyed with him when he's late. Sitting atop the restaurants rooftop he futily looks again for sunny blond hair that's an hour and a half late. Blinking slowly he averts his gaze, now begins the task of finding Sakura's house where Naruto undoubtedly is, blissfully unaware of his tardiness.

-

Their pleasant lunch is interrupted by a single and firm knock on the door. The two twelve year olds barely pay it any mind, too caught up in exchanging stories of all that has happened since last they saw one another. Making her way to the door Mrs Haruno can't help but chuckle at their antics, the way their voices reflect their utter rapture. Opening the door, she speaks pleasantly, "can I help you?"

"Yes, I believe Naruto is here." The voice is unrushed and masculine. Closing the door behind her, she steps outside. The memory of bandaging a broken child is brought to the forefront of her mind.

"He is on a mission and hasn't been here in years." Lifting her head she waits for the man to challenge her words. She will protect Naruto in any way she can.

"Odd being that I was with him this morning and the only reason I can think of why he would be two hours late at meeting me would be that he's here." The speaker seems nonplussed and perfecly at ease with dispelling her blatant lie.

"What's your name?" She is not one to give in easily.

"Kakashi."

"Oh! He's been talking about you all day, come in and join us for lunch." Blinking at the rapid change of tone and dropped hostility Kakashi follows the petite woman in, soon seeing Naruto waving his arms about, mostly likely telling a story with both words and over done actions. As soon as Naruto sees him his eyes widen and his arms drop before rising again to scratch at his neck awkwardly.

"Sorry Kakashi-sensei, I lost track of tiem. It's just that..." He placates before going off on a series of unfortunate and completely untrue events.

Smiling under his mask Kakashi seats himself and enjoys knowing that Naruto is in good hands.

--

Sorry about such a long wait, I just had no inspiration for this story and then this morning was hit with it. Thanks to all who have stayed with this story for so long with so little reward. I promise I will do my best to continue updating. Oh, sorry about all the grammatical and spelling errors, I wanted to get this out as quickly as possible so I just did a quick look through. -Cloey Marie-


	15. Politics

"Kakashi-sensei, put that book away!" Naruto yelled, displeasure evident at the Icha Icha book now blocking Kakashi's face from view. Sakura was luckily out of the room, and being that her mother was blind Naruto was thankful that at least he had the tact to wait to bring out his less than socially acceptable reading material.

"Naruto, one can never read too much." Kakashi lectured, finger raised as if imparting a truly admirable nugget of wisdom.

Checking his words in front of his somewhat mother, Naruto instead opted to mumble under his breathe, "stupid hentai." Glaring at his mentor Naruto began to eat again with gusto, better to keep food in his mouth so he couldn't yell easily.

"Oh, did I mention that you need to meet with the Hokage?" Kakashi spoke, not even bothering to look up or give his traveling companion of six years a hearty pat on the back when said companion began to choke in his surprise.

"W-what? Why does he need to talk to me, didn't you report in? Kakashi-baka! You were supposed to!" Naruto admonishes, rising from his seat and planting his hands on the table to berate him more.

"Naruto," the tone of Kakashi's voice quiets him, "it's about you."

Silence permeates the table as Naruto sits back down, waiting for what he knows is coming. He is surprised when a gentle hand covers his and rubs his knuckles with her thumb, Sakura's mother smiles comfortingly at him. Drawing strength from the silent show of support he breathes deeply to calm himself.

"He needs to make sure you have control." He doesn't need to say any more. They have spoken of it before, the first time shortly after leaving the village, using halting and simple terms to tell a six year old already tainted with his first blood that he was both hero and villain at birth.

Sakura reenters the room, upon seeing the serious faces the words die on her lips and she sits, waiting for the source of the tension to reveal itself.

Nodding his head firmly, Naruto pushes out and back of his chair, giving a small bow to show thanks over lunch, he leaves.

"Does he?" Sakura's mother asks, toying with her chopsticks idly as she waits.

Glancing over at the twelve year old seated at the table, looking interested and possessing intellect, glinting in the large emerald depths. Shrugging mentally Kakashi plows through, the girl would find out soon enough even without him, she might even know now.

"It's like being at war with yourself constantly, when he's fighting he's also struggling to restrain himself, to not let his anger get the best of him. Most of the time, he does but when he slips... it's all the harder for him to regain control." He speaks, plainly with a voice that neither rises nor deepens. It is statement of fact, something that tears at Sakura's heart all the more.

"What does that mean for Naruto?" Sakura asks, fear clutching it's way up to choke her with all the implications.

Turning to face the girl who's perhaps too smart and too hopeful he thinks, she will be a good ninja, the hopes will wilt and she will learn, something she's always been good at.

"It's up to the Hokage." It's the cruelest truth he can impart on her, that the future isn't something she can control, fighting down the urge to touch the scar running down his face Kakashi looks away.

Wordlessly she gets up and walks away, Kakashi can't blame her and doesn't comment.

-

"Hokage-sama, Uzumaki Naruto is here." Looking up from the team assignments Sarutobi nods.

"Send him in and then get me Hayate, I want him here in a half an hour."

"Yes, Hokage-sama." Sighing deeply at what is and has to be done, Sarutobi looks over the list again, matching faces and personalities to the letters. It is all he can do, build the strongest combinations to draw out their potential, to draw out their lives. Laying his hand on the paper, he gives it his blessing. Naruto finds him like this, eyes closed and hand gently, almost reverently placed on a single sheet of paper.

"Hokage-sama?" Approaching the desk slowly he walks towards the man that saved him, from people, from loneliness, from the world as a child.

"Naruto. You've grown." Smile stretching it's way across his face Naruto doesn't have to ask how he knows without even opening his eyes, knows that he isn't talking about height or strength but everything. Caught up in the joyful reunion the two old friends share a laugh borne out of pure happiness.

"I missed you, old man." Naruto admits, jovially.

"I missed you too Naruto but that doesn't mean I'll put up with your antics." Cocking an eyebrow he lays down the law, satisfied when Naruto laughs while scratching his head in abashment.

"Now, down to business. I'm going to put you on a genin team," holding a hand up to quell the indignant response he knows is coming the Hokage continues, "you need to be with your peers and learn from them. Teamwork is key, your survival out there depends on how well you work with others. This also means that you will be attending the academy for this last week and will also go through the tests."

"Ah, old man.." Naruto whines, trying to weasel his way out of the new, less than exciting, turn of events.

"Hokage-sama, Hayate is here." The aide interrupts cautiously, peering around the door.

"I'll be ready for him in just a moment." Dismissed, the aide closes the door. "Naruto, have fun." Smiling the Hokage makes a shooing motion. "Oh, tell Sakura that she's very advanced in cloaking her chakra but I am the Hokage for a reason." Somewhere outside a startled gasp is issued and Naruto can't help but laugh as he leaves to find his red handed friend.

"Hokage-sama." Hayate greets.

"You had applied for a genin team." Bringing out a formal request the Hokage places it at the end of his desk. "Request granted."

Stepping closing he picks up the form, scanning it until reaching the important part, his team. Haruno Sakura, Nara Shikamaru, and Uzumaki Naruto.

Turning a quizzical eye towards the older man, he waits for an explanation to be given.

"You have a joint mission, you are to train these children, and watch Naruto. The council has my hands bound; he has to be subjected to an evaluation but by a neutral third party. If he loses control, he must be subdued and brought back. You will submit a separate report solely on his actions on every mission that is undertaken, no matter how mundane. You are close to Sakura as well and will get additional information from her and any others that he comes into contact with. This mission is of the utmost importance and can not be discussed with anyone aside from myself. Questions?"

"No, Hokage-sama."

"Very well, dismissed." Sighing deeply Sarutobi ignores the fading presence and allows the silence to comfort him. The council is a relentless entity and must be appeased. His move all those years ago left them bitter and eager to prove their power. They had done it, if only in part. While originally calling for Naruto's life and then for him to be exiled they had learned to maneuver with political threats and 'requests' that were reasonable enough to force him into following them. Exhaling slowly, he continues with his paperwork, there are still ways to get around them.

-

Well, yet another update. Pretty pleased with this chapter, gets things moving and sets up things to come. Let me know what you guys think, please and thank ye! -Cloey Marie-


	16. Tested and True

"All of you in this room have passed your examination." Waiting for the hum of voices to subside Iruka scans the faces around the room. They still have their baby fat. No doubt, some will fall, it is what they have signed on for, with the hope that it will not be them. But, they _feel _different. Some part of him speaks of hope and bright things with the children being the cause. Perhaps, this is the year that things are different, that dreams come true.

"You have been sorted into groups of three. I will read aloud the names, please move to sit by your teammates. After this, your new sensei's will come to get you. Team one: group leader Hatake Kakashi, members Hyuuga Hinita, Uchiha Sasuke, and Aburame Shino. Team two group leader Yuuhi Kurenia, members Yamanaka Ino, Inuzuka Kiba, and Akimichi Choji. Team three, group leader Hayate Gekkou, members Haruno Sakura, Uzumaki Naruto, and Nara Shikamaru."

Letting out a loud whoop of joy Naruto reveled in his luck, he would be with Sakura-chan! Ignoring the pointed look from Iruka-sensei, he scanned the classroom for his other teammate. In his one week of being in class, he had managed to observe and categorize his peers, mentally laying out their potential strengths and weaknesses. The Ino girl was too easy to rile up, she would have to work on that if she wanted to make it. Wincing in sympathy as his point was proven Nauto watched as Ino not so subtly smacked a sleeping boy on the back of his head, forcing his head to hit the desk and the boy to awaken to the sensation of pain. Catching moving pink out of his perifial vision, Naruto turned to see Sakura making her way over to the boy, signaling for him to follow. Scrambling out of his seat and behind her he quickly connected the dots, the previously sleeping boy was their new teammate. Sakura didn't seem bothered by this, he must be an average to good ninja then.

"Excuse me Ino-chan. Did you just hit my teammate?" Sakura laughingly questioned, humor sparkling in her eyes as she watched the blond toss her hair.

"You'll be hitting him before long, he's the laziest ninja there is. At least I got teammates who don't fall asleep whenever possible, even if they aren't Sasuke." Coy smile dancing on her lips Ino gave a fleeting glance at the object of most girls desire.

"How troublesome." Muttered under the breathe Shikamaru finally gave up on attempting to sleep again, there was no rest when Ino was around and he had a sneaking suspicion that Sakura wouldn't be much different.

Iruka droned on in the background, sorting the remaining students, having given up any hope that the kids would remain quiet and orderly, it was the same every year.

"What's so special about Sasuke anyway?" Naruto asked, jealousy rising in his chest as the two girls continued talking.

"Let it go Naruto, girls are scary when they start talking about him. It's best to just wait it out." Two heads simultaneously swiveled as he spoke, blinking slowly Shikamaru entertained the thought that perhaps, a quieter voice would have been best.

"Oh, really, Shikamaru?" Ino hissed, cracking her knuckles as Sakura folded her arms over her chest one eye narrowed dangerously.

Minutes later Ino had waltzed off, self satisfied smirk stretched prettily across her lips with a very similar one decorate Sakura's face as Shikamaru nursed the two lumps now on his head while Naruto snickered.

"You're right Shikamaru. They are scary when they're talking about him." Ignoring the glare directed at him Naruto keyed in to the Iruka.

"Now, you all have your teams, your Senseis are here, well, most are here. You are to wait until they arrive. Good luck." With that Iruka opened the door allowing a few adults to trickle into the room.

"Team five, team five."

"Team two, team two."

"Team three, Sakura." With a laugh of joy, Sakura scrambled out of her seat and to her friend turned sensei's side.

"I guess you were lucky enough after all." Sticking her tongue out triumphantly the girl signaled to her new teammates to join them. Bouncing to her side Naruto was trailed by a rather lackluster Shikamaru.

"Now that all three of you are here, were going to go to the training fields so I can get a feel for your strengths and weaknesses." The walk there was pleasant enough, the three chatted while Shikamaru offered up his thoughts when he felt it worth the excursion.

"Alright, now that we're here. I have two bells." A faint tinkling accompanied the bells as they were tied to his belt, "in order to truly become genin, you have to secure a bell. You will not be permitted to pass without one."

"Hey, hey, there are three of us and only two bells?" Naruto shouted, pointing a finger at the bells as to further show the discrepancy.

"Yes. We will take a small break for lunch which is in..." looking down at his watch he continued with a bright smile, "Three hours. Begin." With a poof, he was gone leaving three very confused genin.

"They never mentioned this, they said that after we passed the test we were genin." Naruto huffed.

"Exactly, they said after we passed the test. This is a test." Shikamaru intoned, closing his eyes and sitting down on the grass.

"But..." Sakura began, absentmindedly tapping her chin as she grappled with the situation. "Genin teams always consist of three people and a sensei..."

"Yes, that is odd. Unless they take who passes the test and remake the teams..." Shikamaru ventured. "But I've never heard of them doing that..."

"Well.. what the..." Naruto yelled as he narrowly dodged a kunai to the stomach. Leaping to their feet the three took out their own weapons while scanning the surrounding trees.

"Shuriken, Kage Bunshin no Jutsu." With that a hail of shuriken desceneded.

Thinking quickly Shikamaru yelled, "Kawarimi no jutsu," changing places with a log, settling himself on the tree branch Shikamaru watched as Sakura deflected the shurikan before creating a henge and darting in opposing directions. Flushing out Hayate, he noted with interest. She would be the one to watch, Ino had mentioned that Sakura trained with him. She would know his weaknesses. It would be best if they could retreat and pump her for information and come up with a plan of attack. Naruto had dodged the blades and now stood in the same clearing.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu." Suddenly, a small army of Naruto's came into existence before leaping into the trees. Had they coordinated this? Hearing sounds of blades clashing Shikamaru began weaving a subtle web.

-

They were working together, Hayate noted as he parried a katana thrust by Sakura. After Naruto had made the clones, he had no choice but to change position. Sakura had been waiting for movement and had promptly intercepted him. Now she was forcing him to the ground along with some of Naruto's clones. He had counted the number originally, ten. Now, there were only three Naruto's and one Sakura. Something didn't sit well though, there was one missing. Most likely the real Naruto. He had been trained by Hatake Kakashi and it showed. The Kage Bunshin was not a technique shown to genin, being in fact forbidden. However, it was made all the more dangerous by the boys massive chakra capacity.

Allowing himself to be maneuvered to the ground he waited for them to show their plan. When a hand grabbed his ankle and began to pull him downwards it all fell into place. Kakashi was near famous for his use of Doton Shinjuu Zanshuu no jutsu. Quickly transporting away Hayate felt like chuckling. They were good, now if he could just get the other one to reveal some of his skills. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the blade coming. Dropping down to the next branch he felt like laughing, they had set a trap as well. Deflecting the kunai and twisting to avoid the needles, he wasn't surprised when he felt his body go rigid. He had underestimated them, not believing they had enough time to formulate any real plan. Smiling wryly at his young charges he wasn't surprised when Naruto and Sakura plucked the two bells from his belt and stood there smiling goofily as they clapped Shikamaru on the back.

Feeling control over his body again Hayate beamed. "Lunch time!"

"Shannaro!" Sakura shouted as she pumped her fist in the air. Walking back to the clearing jauntily Hayate watched. Perhaps it was time to remind them of the 'problem.'

"I take it Naruto and Sakura are going to go one being genin." They were the closest bond and the best test. They had no strong connections with Shikamaru and would be less inclined to give up a bell. The speed their smiles fell was extraordinary.

-

Mapping out the chances that Sakura or Naruto would give up a bell Shikamaru resigned himself to another year as an academy student. Not that it was bad, that meant more time sleeping and less pressure. Hm, maybe it was actually a good thing.

Looking at Sakura Naruto felt torn. There was no way he could desert Shikamaru like that but... being a genin... Sakura gave a nod of her head and all doubts were instantly banished. He had Sakura and that's all that mattered, lazy ass was well worth it too.

"No, we won't be genin without Shikamaru. Ninja who abandon their friends are worse than scum!" Sakura nodded firmly, eyes hard. Blinking slowly Shikamaru took it in, smile slowly appearing.

"Well then, you pass."

Longer chapter than most. Hope you guys liked it and I really hope that you leave a comment. I love seeing what you guys are thinking. -Cloey Marie-


	17. Splat went the cat

"This is so..."

"Troublesome," Sakura finished for her teammate, not without a hint of exasperation. Team three had been out in the rain for four hours now searching for the Daiyamo's cat. While it had been fun at first, they had danced through the rain and had a glorified mud fight, after the first hour it was no longer so fun to be sopping went and looking like primordial man.

"You know, Ino told me to hit you whenever you said that." Sakura glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, gaging his reaction. There was none other than a tired sigh as he plowed on through the sparse vegetation.

"Women are such a drag." Muttering under his breathe he scanned the ground for paw prints, a somewhat useless effort with the rain. When he landed face first in the nearest puddle he couldn't help but think that women truly were troublesome.

"I think I'll follow her advice and add 'drag' to the list." Arching her eyebrow while scowling she waited for her teammate to collect himself.

"Tch." Standing up Shikamaru was careful to keep the "bothersome" comment in his head. Now that he knew Sakura had the ears of a bat, he wasn't going to risk a second encounter the with muddy terrain.

"This is such a waste of time," she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest in a fit of frustration. Hayate had left them to their own devices after having made the excuse of needing to sign them up for something. That had been fine, of course it had still been sunny at that time. They had attacked the mission with vigor, using their headphones to stay in contact they had separated. After their first stumbling into one another, which had resulted in their mud fight, they had spread further out. Now, it seemed it was a wasted effort. Shikamaru and Sakura had run into one another again, besides a narrow escape from a kunai that Shikamaru had thrown, it had been fine. Now this tiff.

"We're going to have to expand our search area," Shikamaru sighed, hands pushed into his pockets as he leaned against the nearest tree.

"Yah, I think you're right." Pressing her finger to the com-link, Sakura spoke into the microphone, "Raman, come in ramen. Where are you."

"This is the third time we've had to catch that little demon of a cat, can't they assign another team?" He lazily asked, not directing it to his teammate but instead to the unfairness of the situation.

"Hey guys, guess what!" Wincing, Sakura pulled the ear piece out of its place.

"Idiot! Not so loud, you almost blew out my eardrum!" Sakura yelled into the microphone. Shikamaru wisely chose not to comment on the double standard.

"Sorry Sakura-chan." Naruto placated, voice noticeably softer.

"Code names! Now, _Ramen_, we're going to expand our search area..." She halted abruptly when she heard another voice in the background. "Naruto, who else is there?"

"Um... well, Sakura, you see... I ran into a friend of mine and his siblings and... We found the cat! Isn't that awesome? But, ah... do we still get payed if it's dea... not alive?" Naruto bumbled his way through explaining the bloody mess of fur and meat that lay at his feet.

"What did you do?" Her voice dropped to a threatening rumble. Shikamaru stuffed his hands into his pockets and allowed his shoulders to slump. There went a nice paycheck.

"I didn't do anything!" Naruto protested hotly while leveling his friends with a glare without any effect.

"Where are you?" Sakura queried, her voice clearly indicating that she didn't believe him and would, upon seeing him, proceed to beat the hell out of him.

Ten minutes later, Naruto attempt to edge behind his friends from Suna before his incredulous teammates tore their eyes away from the bloody splattering of cat and attempt to take their frustrations out on his hide.

"This is so troublesome." Shikamaru massaged his temples and closed his eyes, no longer wanting to see their first failed mission. Sakura could not tear her eyes away and had begun to develop a tick in her right eye, Naruto noted worriedly.

"So, this is Gaara, Temari, and Kankurou, their here for the chuunin exams." He babbled, desperately trying to ease the situation. The three Suna siblings stood together, in varying degrees of annoyance and boredom. Gaara looked downright bloodthirsty which set Naruto on edge, if Gaara went off, would they be able to subdue him?

"Who did this?" Sakura hissed, eyes narrowed and searching each face as if she might be able to ferret out the truth by staring hard enough.

"Listen Pinkie," the blond girl spoke, "it's not our fault that you weren't good enough to find a stupid animal."

Eyes widening sharply in disbelief and then narrowing quickly in fury Sakura advanced a step, a sneer contorting her normally pretty features into a mockery of that simple beauty.

"Temari," the read head intoned, "shut up or I will kill you." Instantly, she shrunk into herself, her fiery behavior smothered into whispy compliance.

Stepping in front of the three Naruto raised his hands in a placating manner and attempted to clear the air, "it doesn't really matter. What's done is done, ne? We should just go back and request another mission, we still have plenty of time to get another one done."

"I did." Gaara took a step forward, face impassive as he watched the girl draw herself up in her fury. It didn't escape anyone's notice when she nudged the hilt of her katana up to reveal an inch of metal.

"Sakura, don't be stupid," Shikamaru stepped forward. "We will escort you to Konohagakure." Holding back an immense sigh at the bloody result that had just been avoided by the narrowest of margins, Naruto vowed to run through the no-no's of dealing with Gaara as soon as they got home. Silently, Gaara began to walk off in the direction of the village, the rest followed. No attempt at conversation was made as they jumped from branch to branch while trying to keep their grip on the rain slick bark. Upon entering the gates, the groups went their separate ways.

Entering a small restaurant the soaked members of Team Three were ushered into a small booth tucked into the corner of the cramped little building.

"Listen guys I'm sorry." Sakura began awkwardly. "I overreacted." No one protested her decoration. Sighing dejectedly she began to peruse the menu without any real interest.

"You shouldn't mess with Gaara." Running a hand through his hair Naruto continued, "he had a demon sealed inside of him."

Giving a little gasp, Sakura whispered, "that's horrible." Wincing at the comment, Naruto tried to ignore the sentiment and the dangerous thoughts it led to. What if she found out about the Kyuubi? What if everyone found out about it? How could they still like him? Would they treat him with the hate that he had been forced to live through as a child? Halting the thoughts he pressed on, only Shikamaru noted the small pause and distant look to the normally happy boy.

"He's, well, he's not okay. It just messed with him, his own dad did it. His dad even hired assassins to try and get rid of him. He's crazy good, his demon, Shukaku, gives him control over sand. What ever you do, don't mess with him." The warning washed over his companions. Giving a start, Naruto flashed a smile at the waitress that looked like she had been standing and waiting longer than she would like.

"Chicken ramen, please." He crowed happily with a silly smile. Ramen made everything better.

* * *

An update! And there was much rejoicing! I am going back through and fixing up the story, I have already done chapter one. I'm surprised you guys haven't pointed the numerous mistakes out, I nearly had a heart attack when I saw how bad some were. I get so excited to update that I rush through the editing process. Still do. Hope you don't mind an error or two. Enjoy the chapter and don't forget to press that lovely green button and give me some feedback! -Cloey Marie-


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